was a
sumo
is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by thr ...
wrestler from
Yame, Fukuoka
is a city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on April 1, 1954.
As of 2003, the city had an estimated population of 39,372 and a population density of 1,000.81 persons per km². The total area was 39.34 km².
On Octo ...
, Japan. His highest rank was
komusubi
, or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (''rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments.
This is the on ...
. He earned four
gold stars for defeating
yokozuna
, or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (''rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments.
This is the on ...
. After his retirement from active competition in 1961 he became an
elder of the
Japan Sumo Association
The is the body that operates and controls professional sumo wrestling (called ''Ōzumō'', 大相撲) in Japan under the jurisdiction of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). ''Rikishi'' (active ...
under the name Shikoroyama.
Career
He was born in
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
, China, and was separated from his parents while still a child. He attempted to locate his parents who he believed may have returned to Japan by joining a sumo touring party.
Upon joining professional sumo he took the Japanese surname of Iwahira.
He was recruited by the active ''yokozuna''
Futabayama
was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Oita Prefecture. Entering sumo in 1927, he was the sport's 35th ''yokozuna'' from 1937 until his retirement in 1945. He won twelve ''yūshō'' or top division championships and had a winning streak ...
and joined his Futabayama stable (later
Tokitsukaze stable
The is a stable of sumo wrestlers in Japan, one of the Tokitsukaze group of stables. It was founded in 1769 and was dominant during the Taishō period.
In its modern form it dates from 1941 when it was established by Futabayama, who was still an ...
) in January 1942. He used Iwahira as his fighting name until one tournament after he was promoted to the top ''
makuuchi
, or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (''rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments.
This is the on ...
'' division, when he adopted the ''
shikona
A is a sumo wrestler's ring name. The tradition of ring names in sumo dates back to the Edo period, where they were used as a means to attract customers and hide the identities of the ''rikishi''.
Like standard Japanese names, a ''shikona'' co ...
'' of Wakabayama, taking two characters from his head coach Futabayama. His birthplace was recorded on the
banzuke
A , officially called is a document listing the rankings of professional sumo wrestlers published before each official tournament (''honbasho''). The term can also refer to the rankings themselves. The document is normally released about two w ...
as
Yame, Fukuoka
is a city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on April 1, 1954.
As of 2003, the city had an estimated population of 39,372 and a population density of 1,000.81 persons per km². The total area was 39.34 km².
On Octo ...
, although he later changed his surname to Aoyama (his wife's) and his birthplace to
Omiya, Saitama.
His promotion followed his ''
yusho'' or tournament championship in the ''
juryo
Professional sumo as administered by the Japan Sumo Association is divided into six ranked divisions. Wrestlers are promoted and demoted within and between these divisions based on the merit of their win–loss records in official tournaments. For ...
'' division in November 1946, the only tournament held that year. Following his strong performance in the May 1951 tournament, where he defeated two ''yokozuna'' and won the Outstanding Performance Prize, he was promoted to ''
komusubi
, or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (''rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments.
This is the on ...
'' in September 1951, which was to be his highest rank. He fought in the top division for 49 tournaments with a win/loss record of 326/383. He was demoted from ''makuuchi'' in November 1959 after recording only one win against 14 losses. He competed in the ''juryo'' division until announcing his retirement after the January 1961 tournament.
Retirement from sumo
Following his retirement Wakabayama remained with the
Japan Sumo Association
The is the body that operates and controls professional sumo wrestling (called ''Ōzumō'', 大相撲) in Japan under the jurisdiction of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). ''Rikishi'' (active ...
as an
elder under the name Shikoroyama Oyakata, and worked as a coach at Tokitsukaze stable until reaching the mandatory retirement age of 65 in November 1987.
Death
He died of a
cerebral thrombosis
A thrombus (plural thrombi), colloquially called a blood clot, is the final product of the blood coagulation step in hemostasis. There are two components to a thrombus: aggregated platelets and red blood cells that form a plug, and a mesh of c ...
on January 17, 2001 in
Fukushima
may refer to:
Japan
* Fukushima Prefecture, Japanese prefecture
** Fukushima, Fukushima, capital city of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan
***Fukushima University, national university in Japan
*** Fukushima Station (Fukushima) in Fukushima, Fukushim ...
. He was 78.
Family
His son-in-law Masashi Onami was a sumo wrestler in the
Tatsutagawa stable Tatsutagawa stable (立田川部屋, ''Tatsutagawa beya'') was a ''heya'' (stable) of sumo wrestlers, part of the Tokitsukaze ''ichimon'' or group of stables. It was active from 1971 until 2000.
History
The stable was founded in 1971 by the former ...
, fighting as Wakashinobu and reaching a highest rank of makushita 51. Three of his grandsons also became sumo wrestlers, all fighting out of the
Arashio stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Tokitsukaze '' ichimon'' or group of stables. It was set up in June 2002 by former ''komusubi'' Ōyutaka, who branched off from Tokitsukaze stable. At the end of 2009 the stable produced its first ''s ...
. The first was Onami (now Wakatakamoto) in 2009, followed by Goshi (now
Wakamotoharu
is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Fukushima (city), Fukushima. He wrestles for the Arashio stable, where he is a heya (sumo), stable mate of his brothers Wakatakakage Atsushi, Wakatakakage and Wakatakamoto. His highest rank to date ha ...
) in 2011.
Wakatakakage
is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Fukushima. He made his debut in March 2017 and reached the top ''makuuchi'' division in November 2019. He wrestles for Arashio stable, where he is a stablemate of his older brothers Wakatakamoto and ...
, an amateur champion at
Toyo University
is a university with several branches in Japan, including Hakusan, Asaka, Kawagoe, Itakura, and Akabane.
Overview
The predecessor to Toyo University was , which was founded at Rinsho-in Temple by Enryo Inoue in 1887. Inoue felt that the ...
, joined as a ''
sandanme tsukedashi
The following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan.
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
...
'' entrant in March 2017, reached the ''makuuchi'' division in November 2019 and won the 2022 Osaka tournament.
[https://www.sumo.or.jp/webroot/EnSumoDataRikishi/profile/3761/index.php/]
Fighting style
Wakabayama was small for a sumo wrestler at and , but he was a noted technician.
His favourite
techniques
Technique or techniques may refer to:
Music
* The Techniques, a Jamaican rocksteady vocal group of the 1960s
*Technique (band), a British female synth pop band in the 1990s
* ''Technique'' (album), by New Order, 1989
* ''Techniques'' (album), by M ...
included ''ashitori'' (leg grab) and ''shitatehineri'' (twisting underarm throw).
Pre-modern top division record
*''The New Year tournament began and the Spring tournament returned to Osaka in 1953.''
Modern top division tournament record
*''Since the addition of the Kyushu tournament in 1957 and the Nagoya tournament in 1958, the yearly schedule has remained unchanged.''
See also
*
List of past sumo wrestlers
This is a list of prominent past wrestlers (either retired or deceased) in the sport of professional sumo. They are listed in order of the year and tournament month that they made their professional debuts. The information listed below was gleaned ...
*
List of sumo tournament second division champions
This is a list of wrestlers who have won the sumo second division ''jūryō'' championship since 1909, when the current championship system was established. These official tournaments are held exclusively in Japan.
The wrestler who has won the mo ...
*
List of komusubi
This is a list of all sumo wrestlers whose pinnacle in the sport has been the fourth highest rank of ''komusubi'' and who held the rank in the modern era of sumo since the 1927 merger of the Tokyo and Osaka organizations. There are usually two ac ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wakabayama, Sadao
1922 births
2001 deaths
Japanese sumo wrestlers
Komusubi
People from Yame, Fukuoka
Sumo people from Fukuoka Prefecture